Collapsible bucket.



D. M. ORUUTT.

GOLLAPSIBLE BUCKET.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 6. 190a.

Patented Oct. 26,1909.

u 420.. Puoru-umoommznsiwasmuamn n c DARIUS MERRIAM ORCUTT, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

COLLAPSIBLE BUCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application filed. May 6, 1908. Serial No. 431,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DARIUS M. ORCUTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Council Bluffs, in the county of Pottawattamie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in C01- lapsible Buckets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible buckets, and my object is to produce a device of this character of simple, strong, durable and 7 cheap construction.

.Vith this object in view, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1. is a side view of a bucket embodying my invention, partly broken away. Fig. 2. is a horizontal section on the line IIII, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3. is a horizontal section on the line IIIIII, of Fig. 4. Fig. 4. is an enlarged, vertical section, taken on the line IVIV, of Fig. 3, but including the bottom of the bucket, omitted from the lastnamed figure.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates a helical spring, having its convolutions gradually decreasing in diameter toward its lower end, and terminating at such end in an eye or loop 2, embracing the juxtaposed convolution so as to form a ring 3. The upper end of the spring terminates in an eye or loop 4:, engaging the juxtaposed portion of the topmost convolution so as to form a ring 5, of greater diameter than ring 3, and like the latter disposed horizontally.

6 indicates a water-proof canvas, or equivalent fabric, formingv a downwardly tapering cylinder, fitting snugly within the helical spring, the lower edge of said fabric being slit at 7, so as to pass over the out wardly projecting eye or loop 2, and to permit the undermost convolution of the spring to pass into the fabric receptacle and thus permit the latter to pass below and be turned under to externally envelop ring 3.

8 indicates a fabric bottom for the receptacle 6, said bottom being of circular form and arranged within the receptacle and stitched over ring 3, being doubled back at 9, for the sake of durability. The doubled portion 10 underlies the bottom, as shown in Fig. l, where it is preferably stitched to the inwardly projecting portion of the fabric cylinder, as shown at 11, in Fig. 3, the bottom 8, at its doubled margin being also stitched with a water-tight relation to the fabric at 12.

13 indicates a second, or protective bottom, of fabric by preference, the said fabric being preferably doubled, as shown at 13*, and stitched as at 14 to the inturned portion of cylinder 6, below ring 3.

At its upper end the fabric cylinder is bent outwardly and downwardly around ring 5, as at 15, such bent portion being stitched to the body portion as at 16, below the said ring, and is slit at 17 to accommodate eye or loop 4 and the contiguous portion of the topmost convolution of the helical spring. At diametrically opposite points the loop of the fabric enveloping ring 5 is slit, to accommodate a pair of elongated or elliptic loops 18, to which the lower ends of the bail 19 are pivotally interlocked.

At two other diametrically opposite points the said fabric loop is slit to accommodate a pair of hooks 20, the said hooks being pivoted on ring 5 and depending therefrom with their hook or lower ends disposed inwardly. When the bucket is in operative condition, that is to say, when the helical spring is expanded as shown in Fig. 1, hooks 20 are inoperative. lVhen it is desired to store the bucket, it is collapsed by opposing pressure on its ends; this pressure resulting, obviously, in causing the convolutions of the spring to nest together one within the other, the hooks 20 being then caused to engage the contiguous portions of the undermost convolution to prevent the re'expansion of the spring, and consequently of the fabric receptacle, the bail, of course, folding down upon the top ring.

As an alternative or auxiliary method of securing the bucket in collapsed condition, two or more cords or strings 21 may be attached to ring 5, and when the bucket is collapsed, drawn under the bottom thereof and tied together.

This bucket will be found of great convenience because it possesses all of the advantages of an ordinary wood or metal bucket, and the additional advantage of collapsibility. In collapsed condition it can be conveniently carried or stored; for instance, it can be placed under the cushion of a vehicle seat, and thus be conveniently accessible and less liable to be stolen.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a collapsible bucket embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and which is susceptible of change in minor particulars, without departing from the principles of construction involved.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A collapsible bucket comprising a helical spring having its ends terminating in eyes which embrace the adjacent convolutions of the spring and thereby form upper and lower rings, a flexible fabric fitting snugly within the helical spring, the upper and lower edges of the said fabric being slitted to accommodate the eyes at the extremities of the spring, the upper edge of the fabric being folded outward over the upper ring of the spring and secured to the main body of the fabric and the lower edge of the fabric being turned under the lower ring of the spring,-a fabric bottom placed within the fabric receptacle above the bottom ring of the spring and having its edges doubled on itself, said bottom being secured at its doubled edge to the body of the fabric receptacle and also secured to the edge of the same whereby the lower ring of the spring will be enveloped, and a lower protective fabric secured at its edge to the fabric receptacle under the said lower ring of the spring.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses DARIUS MERRIAM ORCUTT.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. HUNTER, D. 0. BROWN. 

